Phoenix
by Mercy Vale
Summary: Kim falls for an unexpected trap, devised by Drakken no less. How will she get out of it? What will happen if she can't? She'll have to learn that people CAN change for the better, but it won't be easy when that person is someone who's tried to kill her countless times.. (Please feel free to leave a review! I love feedback XD) (Hiatus. )
1. Caught off Guard

**So, I know what you're thinking. Why would I start another Fanfic when I'm not even finished with another one that's in an entirely different category? Well, the answer to that is… _I REALLY HATE MYSELF…_**…**. Okay, not really, but I had a dream about this story line after browsing DeviantArt for god knows how long and I just couldn't get it out of my head. I tried my hardest to settle into working on the next chapter of Good Dog, but it was like there was a lock on the door for that one. I just couldn't come up with anything because my brain wouldn't stop thinking about this. I totally get it if any of my usual readers are confused by this and don't want to read it, or just aren't into this show or pairing. I just had to get this out there so my thoughts could go back to GD. I'm already writing chapter 2 of this so that just shows how much this has been on my mind O_O Wish me luck you guys. See you on the other side, and I can promise more Good Dog very soon! -MercyVale**

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Phoenix

Chapter One: Caught off Guard

Time ticked by slowly as Kim Possible flipped through her textbook and took notes while her professor gave his lesson. She had exams coming up and she'd been preparing and studying almost non-stop, even in between missions. She was confident she'd do fine, but she knew better than anyone that it's better to be over prepared. Kim was always prepared. No matter what it was that she was doing, she always made sure she had everything she could possibly need. Especially when it came to her missions. Wade always kept her fully stocked in gadgets and always made sure her power suit was ready to go at a moment's notice. She'd been saving the world for years so she knew that anything could happen at a moment's notice.

Right now, however, she was facing her most annoying enemy ever. Boredom. She almost wished something would happen, so she would have something to do. There was 15 minutes left in class when suddenly a familiar **beep-beep-be-beep** came from her bag. Kim thanked whatever god it was that granted her this chance at something to do. She pulled out her Kimmunicator and answered quickly, ducking down so the professor didn't notice her.

"Hey Wade, what's the sitch?" Kim greeted the young man with the classic catchphrase as he pulled up images of Duff Killigan and Monkey Fist.

"Hey Kim. Duff and Monkey Fist are at it again. They're planning to steal the world's largest magnifying glass to burn their likeness' into Mount Rushmore. According to these emails I received, it's happening tonight." Kim packed up everything and quietly slipped out of the room to head to her dorm. There was a reason she always sat in the back in all her classes. She usually went unnoticed when she snuck out. Her grades were perfect, so her professors didn't always complain, when they did, she just did extra work for them and that usually made them happy.

"Burning their faces into Mount Rushmore? Seriously? I feel like they've tried that one already."

"No, you're thinking of last year when DNAmy wanted to immortalize the rarest cuddle buddy on the moon with a laser." She shook her head and grabbed an apple from the kitchen while no one was looking, sneaking out quickly.

"Oh yeah, you're right. I gotta admit though, that Slothisaur was pretty cool."

"Don't let her hear you say that. She might try it again." Wade shot her a grin and sent all the info she needed right to her Kimmunicator. "Okay, your ride will be there in 1 hour, so make sure you're ready. It just Duff and Monkey Fist so I think it's safe to say this is a solo mission. I know you haven't been wanting to bother Ron while he studies for his exams."

"You know me well. I'd feel terrible if dragging him on a mission messed with his grades. Plus, Yori would kill me." She chuckled and shook her head, thinking about her best friend and his girlfriend. "Okay, I have everything I need so keep me updated if anything changes. Okay wade?"

"You got it Kim. See ya!" Kim tucked the device away after the call ended and ran to her dorm to get ready. Sitting on her bed, reading her new Club Banana magazine was her insufferable pain in the ass roommate, Bonnie Rockwaller.

"Oh, hi Kim. Your magazine was delivered. Thought you wouldn't mind if I looked through it." She barely even looked up to acknowledge the redhead. Kim just shook her head and went straight for her desk, pulling out a small bottle of rum.

"You know what Bonnie, go ahead."

This caused Bonnie to look up in shock as Kim **never** gave in so easily before and she began to wonder if this was a trap. She watched as the other girl grabbed a glass and some ice from their mutual mini fridge and poured herself a drink. The now 22-year-old didn't drink very often, but she liked a strong drink before a mission to help her focus.

"Another mission, Possible?" Kim just nodded and went over to the closet and pulling out a small safe. She punched in a 24-digit code, and after confirming the numbers, the safe beeped and popped open, revealing her power suit. "Kim, you do realize we have exams starting tomorrow, right? Or are you just that confident that you'll pass so you're risking it?"

"I'm pretty confident since I've taken consistent notes and actually studied, unlike you Bon-Bon."

Kim didn't miss a beat and Bonnie's face flushed red. She was right. She hadn't taken very many notes, and the ones she had taken weren't the best. Kim on the other hand always took perfect notes and aced every class. It pissed her off to no end and she knew she'd have to ask Kim to borrow her notes if she had any chance of passing.

"Do you think-" It was like Kim was psychic. She cut Bonnie off, as if she'd already knew what she was going to ask.

"Yes, you can borrow my notes. I have copies on my laptop anyway. Here." She grabbed a folder from her backpack and handed it to Bonnie. "Just worry about the stuff for the classes we have together. Go make copies of it if it's easier and leave the originals on my desk."

"Thanks..." Bonnie accepted the folder, unable to hide her appreciation. "You know Kim, you should drink more often if it makes you like this. You're never this nice to me."

"You just caught me in a good mood, that's all. You know I don't like to drink like that. This is just to relax me before I leave, and I'll probably have a little more when I'm done. If I had any more than that, I wouldn't be able to concentrate, and it would probably get me killed." Kim leaned back on her desk and swirled the drink, letting it get nice and cold before taking a sip.

"I don't know, you go around fighting all kinds of crazy people. I think that'll get you killed quicker than some alcohol would."

"Well, if that ever happens, I'll just come back and haunt you personally, okay?"

"Not funny Kim! You know I hate ghosts!" Bonnie threw the magazine at her and leaving the room in a huff. Kim just shrugged, taking a sip of her drink, and stripped off her clothes, slipping the power suit on.

When she finished, she then poured herself another half glass of rum to drink and turned her attention to her mission bag. She packed everything she used consistently, as well as some new toys Wade sent her, and soon enough, she received a call from her ride.

"Thanks for the ride, Mr. Edwards!" Kim had to shout to be heard over the sound of the jet and the pilot gave her a polite nod in return.

"After you saved my daughter from that crazy electric lady in Italy. I owe you so much more!" Kim smirked, remembering her fight with Shego that day. She sent the older woman flying into a vat of tomato sauce. Red looked better on her than she thought and Shego was ready to kill her over it.

"Well, a ride back home afterwards would sure be appreciated!" Kim settled in beside the pilot for the flight and made sure she had her goggles and helmet nearby for jumping.

"Girly, I'd fly you to the moon and back if I could." She chuckled and closed her eyes, deciding to take a short nap so she's sharp when she gets there. She set her watch to go off in 90 minutes and it left her with about 45 minutes to wake up and get ready to go.

The next couple of hours fly by, a perk to taking a nap, and soon enough it was time to get ready to jump. Kim had her helmet on, and the visor pulled down as she held onto the designated handles by the door. After giving him the signal, Mr. Edwards flipped a switch and the side hatch opened.

"I'll call you when I'm ready for you to get me! Thanks again!" Kim threw herself forward and let go of the handles, starting the freefall towards the lab that held the world's largest magnifying glass. This was one of her favorite parts of the job, falling through the sky and feeling the adrenaline pump through her as she drew closer to the ground with nothing to stop her but the parachute on her back. When she was on solo missions, she liked to push herself, seeing how far she could go before pulling the cord. She never went any lower than about 200 feet, however. She was an adrenaline addict, but even she knew when enough was enough.

Once on the ground, Kim started heading in the direction of the lab. It was hidden in such a tight, dense forest but thanks to her Kimmunicator, she knew which direction to go in. The emails Wade received said the lab was going to be hit tonight, so she got here early to get a jump on them. Kim slipped into the building and found an empty air duct that lead right to the magnifying glass. Crawling through, she got to the room and peered down into it to see what the fuss was all about. When she did, she was left feeling a bit lost. The room was dark, save for a small light near the back. Was this the right room? She double checked the Kimmunicator and nodded to herself. It had to be, the schematics for the building said she was right above the correct room and the magnifying glass was in the back. Once she confirmed her position, Kim settled herself in the duct and looked at her Kimmunicator to go over every bit of information.

So, Wade got the emails forwarded to him by the owners of the building when they themselves received an email explaining that the magnifying glass was at risk of being stolen. The person who sent the emails was unknown, but it wouldn't be the first time a baddie ratted on another, if it benefited them. Worst case scenario, it was someone else who wanted to steal the magnifying glass, but unfortunately for them, Kim was going to make sure the place was properly monitored after dealing with Duff and Monty.

Two hours passed and Kim grew bored after playing a game on her Kimmunicator, so she took this time to examine the magnifying glass, from a distance, to see what the fuss was about. She made her way through the duct, following the path on the Kimmunicator, until she was right above the spot where the magnifying glass should be. Turns out, the single light was used to illuminate the area where the magnifying glass was. There was just one problem, there was nothing there. The light was shining down on a table, but it was empty…

There was no way someone took it, not while she was there. It was dead quiet, save for her own breathing. No, no one had been in here… Deciding to take the risk, she removed the vent cover off the duct and dropped to the floor, approaching the table while keeping an eye on the door in front of her. There was no magnifying glass but, in the center of the table, there was a single piece of paper. Maybe it had been stolen before she got here… Kim grabbed the paper and read it. 'Turn me over.' She did as it said and looked on the back, finding another message. 'Look behind you.' She felt goosebumps rise suddenly over her body and turned around only to be met with a hand shoving her down, a very hairy hand. Her head slammed down on the table and she was knocked unconscious by the force of it.

"I really must give credit where credit is due, Lipsky," Monty Fiske stepped out of the shadow, dusting off his hands. "For a plan that **you** came up with, it actually worked." Drakken followed behind him, a menacing grin on his face as he examined the unconscious young woman on the floor.

"Why thank you, Monty. You know I-" He stops suddenly and glares at Monty. "Wait a minute. That sounded like an insult."

"Oh, no. You only misunderstood me." Monty lifted Kim and set her on the table, turning to the doctor.

"Ahh, I see. Well, thank you." Drakken produced shackles of some sort and began to attach them to Kim's hands and feet as Monty muttered to himself, referring to the doctor as an idiot. The second insult went unnoticed as Drakken pulled out a syringe, injecting it straight into Kim's neck. "That should keep her out for the next few hours while we move her."

"And you're certain no one will track her? You know as well as I what that Tech boy can do."

"That's what this is for." Drakken pulled a remote out, pressing a series of buttons. Suddenly, it started beeping when placed near the thigh pocket on her power suit. "Ah ha!" He dug into the pocket and pulled out the Kimmunicator. "He can't trace her if this isn't with her, and the shackles sent out a small electromagnetic wave that disables her flashy little suit, so he can't trace her using that **and** it will prevent her from using that suit to break free." Drakken set the Kimmunicator down and raised his foot, preparing to smash it.

"Wait, you fool!" Monkey Fist grabbed Drakken's leg, stopping him from lowering it. "That thing most likely has a fail-safe in it. If you destroy it, the boy will know, and this place will be surrounded in no time." He let go of Drakken's foot and picked up the Kimmunicator, setting it in the middle of the room. If he sticks to the emails that were sent, he will continue to believe that this place will be robbed in a few hours. He won't contact her just yet since he wouldn't want to compromise her position." Drakken scowled to himself but had to agree with the monkey. It did make more sense.

"Fine. Let's just get out of here before he **does** try to contact her and prove you wrong. Or worse, that bumbling buffoon might actually show up."

"Okay, but I do with that buffoon had come with her. It would have been perfect, taking them out together."

"In due time, Fiske, in due time." Drakken pressed another button on the remote and after a few minutes there was a rumbling all around them as the roof suddenly started opening, revealing a helicopter waiting just above them. A hook is lowered and attached to Kim's shackles, raising her up into it to be put aside by two henchmen. The hook gets swapped for a ladder and Drakken and Monkeyfist climb it, getting into the helicopter as well. Once the door is shut, it flies off, leaving no trace behind of where it could be going.

Kim slowly began to wake up, feeling the pounding ache in her head, and reached up to massage it away. Something stopped her though, and she opened her eyes to look at the cuff latched onto her wrist. There was a similar one on her other wrist, and a matching set on her ankles, not to mention the much larger one around her neck. What the hell was going on? She couldn't remember anything except seeing a hairy hand outstretched towards her face… Monkey Fist! During her realization, she pushed herself to her feet, forgetting about the chains, and started to run, only to be yanked back down to the ground. She clutched at her throat, gasping for air after she nearly choked herself.

"Well, well, well. Looks like Ms. Possible is finally awake." Kim looked up and met the eyes of Drakken, but that wasn't what gave her chills and a deep sense of dread. No, what did that was the fact that he wasn't alone. Duff Killigan, Monkey Fist, DNAmy, Electronique, Motor Ed, Adrena Lynn, and Camille Leon. "I thought a few friends of mine would like to join us. This really is a once in a lifetime opportunity." Kim pushed herself to her feet, still winded after practically clotheslining herself, and took a defensive stance.

"What, are you guys going to actually try killing me this time?" She clenched her fists, trying to activate the power suit, but nothing happened. That's impossible…

"I think you'll find that your suit won't work. That's all thanks to Electronique here. She managed to shut it off, permanently. Don't want it getting in the way of our fun. She even went through the trouble of making these lovely chains for you. I'll show you how they work." With that, he flipped a switch on a control pad and within seconds, Kim was writhing on the ground as waves of electricity coursed through her. He let her suffer for a few seconds before shutting it off. "Shocking, isn't it?" Every villain in the room groans and complains out loud.

"You said you weren't going to say it if I made it for you!" Electronique shouted at him, snatching the control panel from him. "My turn." Kim only just managed to sit up before the device was activated again, sending her back to the floor and grabbing at the collar in a futile attempt to take it off.

"Hey! You know, if we kill her now, the plan won't work."

"Hush up. It won't kill her. There's not enough power to do that, but there is just enough to cause her so much pain…" And Electronique was right. The pain was excruciating, but because of the shock collar around her throat, she couldn't make a single sound to vocalize what she felt.

Each villain took a turn shocking her and when the last of the shocks ended and Kim just laid there, fighting the lingering convulsions and struggling to even move.

"I think we're going to have a lot of fun, Ms. Possible. Don't worry, we have more than just electricity planned for you. I'd say rest up, but I don't see that happening anything soon." Drakken signals to the villains and one by one, they take turns punching, slapping, or kicking Kim while the whole terrible scene is recorded by one of the henchmen. Kim doesn't know how much time had passed. All she could think of was the pain. There was more than she'd ever experienced at one time… They did more than use their hands and feet. Adrena Lynn was using a chair and hitting her repeatedly with it while DNAmy was slashing at her with her newly developed claws.

"Having fun, Ms. Possible?" Kim looked up just as Drakken brought his foot down on her face. She whimpered in pain and tried to roll away, but the chains only let her move so far. There was no where she could go and nothing she could do to get away…

"Please…" This brought smiles to their faces when she said this. "P-please...let me go…" Kim was surrounded by laughter at her request and she laid there, unable to hide her tears, which only spurred them on even more and caused them to attack her more.

"Unfortunately for you, Kim Possible, we're tired of dealing with you. No more Mr. Nice Bad Guy." More groans. "We're going to give back every punch and every kick you gave to us." Nearly an hour had passed when they finally decided that they'd done enough for now. Drakken called over the henchman that was recording and took the camcorder from him before handing him the control panel. He sat him in a booth just outside Kim's cell. "Jerry, you have a very important job. If you see her falling asleep, I want you to give her a healthy little shock."

"You're gonna keep her from sleepin'? Aye man, tis nothin' fancy there." Duff looked the panel over, curious.

"Oh, but it is. She'll go mad from sleep deprivation. It's just a little icing on the cake. Now, let's take care of this little movie." They all left, a few of them giving Kim a parting kick to the ribs before leaving, and they followed Drakken. Kim laid on the floor in immense pain and didn't plan on moving anytime soon. Nothing felt broken but nothing felt not broken either. She'd never been in this much pain before… She tried to sit up, but her body was so weak. There was nothing she could do but wait. Wade was bound to find her and send for help. She just had to be patient… She decided to stay on the floor instead of hurting herself by moving too much and just as the pain and exhaustion was becoming too much, she was suddenly jolted awake. Kim sat up and leaned back against the wall, clutching at her chest as the shock started to wear off. Things continued like that for an unknown amount of time.

Any time she started to fall asleep from exhaustion or fall unconscious from pain, she was jolted awake. She didn't want to admit it, but it was starting to get to her. She'd gotten to the point that she was punching the ground or floor to stay awake. Anything to keep herself from falling asleep, just to stop the shocks. They still came. They didn't stop and Kim was a frazzled mess on the floor, sitting in the fetal position and clutching her head. She'd cried, and begged for it to stop, but all she'd managed to do was give the others a good show when they came back to continue their assault. This time, they'd brought some new things with them to hurt her with, and by the end of the next session, Kim was a bloody heap on the floor, still begging to be let go and begging for the shocks to stop.

When everyone left again, Drakken announced to them that they have enough footage and that it was time to execute phase 2 of the plan.

"Computer! Call Dr. James Possible." He grinned at the screen, rubbing his hands together and an image of Dr. Possible came up. "Hello Doctor."

"Drew? Give me one reason why I shouldn't hang up right now."

"Oh, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Not unless you want anything to happen to your previous daughter." James froze and his eyes darkened.

"What have you done to Kim?"

"Oh, I'll show you exactly what we did to her, but you might want to fetch your wife. I'd hate for her to miss the show. And don't bother trying to trace this. It's impossible." James leapt out of his seat, yelling for his wife, as every person in the room only laughed at him. They were finally getting their perfect revenge on the Possible girl of all the countless humiliations and now they would get paid for it as well. Little did they know, a certain green-skinned woman had been in the same building and she was in a pissed off mood...


	2. Explosive Decisions

**Two uploads in one day? Is it a miracle? Nope, it's just insomnia. Enjoy everyone! - MercyVale**

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Chapter Two: Seconds Left to Live

Shego was never in a good mood and today only proved that point even further. She was leaving. She'd already handed in her resignation to Dr. D and now she'd come to pick up her things. She just got tired of it all, the same old song and dance with authority, and she knew it was time to move on to something new. She'd already paid off her fines to GJ, even the addition fines Betty chose to throw her way, just to be a bitch. Almost all her money, gone in an instant. She was lucky she'd invested her money well, or she'd have nothing left though. She just wanted to get her things and get this over with as clean as possible. Speaking of possible... she hadn't seen the perky redhead since Italy, and that was almost a year ago. She still hadn't forgiven her for throwing her into the tomato sauce. Her hair reeked of the stuff for a week...

After that day, Shego had finally gotten so sick of the crime life that she went right to the director herself. What was the point of all this if she wasn't happy anymore? Betty had really surprised her. All she had to do was pay off her fines and work for GJ, well, after the year she'd served in prison. She almost turned down the offer on principal alone. It went against everything she stood for years, but she needed the change. She just could keep doing this and she knew that if she stayed, she'd be miserable, and she'd probably snap and kill the blue doofus one day. That part wasn't included in her resignation since she knew it wouldn't go over well with the good doctor. He was already pissy about her leaving and she didn't want to hear anymore whining. She just wanted to get her stuff and go home. She hadn't been home in so long... The cold air, the isolation. She missed it and it was far away from everyone that she just couldn't stand

It didn't take long to load her stuff into her jet, especially since she throttled a few of the henchmen and 'convinced' them to help her. She didn't feel bad about it though. They were always pervy when it came to her and her things and now, she could kick their asses without having to deal with Drakken after, and she sure as hell wasn't leaving her jet here. This was one of the few things she bought legitimately, and she wasn't letting blue boy get his dirty little hands on it. She only had one more box and she'd be finished with this place. With the small shoe box under her arm, she sent the henchmen off and started towards the door but had to stop when she heard maniacal laughing. That was nothing new, but what made her stop was the different pitches in laughing. Dr. D wasn't the only person here…

Shego set the box down and crept towards the main section of the lab, peeking in. What she saw almost made her sick right then and there. On the large screen was a still image of THE Kim Possible, laying on a dirty floor of a cell, chained, bruised, and covered in blood. Beside it was what seemed to be a recording of her while in the cell. What the hell had she missed? Shego never went easy on Kim, not once, but this… This was brutal, even by her standards. She wasn't even trying to escape and every few minutes, you could hear the crackling of electricity as she began to convulse on the floor. When it passed, she would just lay there, gasping for air. Shego couldn't always stand the girl, even on her best day, but she'd formed a sort of bond with her over the years. They never went easy on each other, but never went for serious blows. It was more like they were sparring partners that met up randomly 2-3 time a month. Seeing her like this stirred something inside her but she didn't want to get involved. Besides, Kimmie always gets out in the end...

"Isn't it spectacular? Just listen to that!" Drakken grabbed a remote and rewound the recording before playing it again. You can hear laughter in the background as every villain in the room surrounds her with makeshift blunt weapons. The view of Kim is obscured but the sounds of those objects hitting her body is unmistakable, and if Shego needed more to know what they had done to that girl, her screams were solid proof and near deafening. Every cry of pain tore at her and it took everything inside her to not jump into the room and rip every one of them apart. After the scene played out, the recording shrunk into a corner and the screen was then filled by a fuming Mr. Possible and a tear-stained Mrs. Possible.

"Drew, when I get my hands on you, I swear to god I'll-"

"Ah, ah ah. You'd do well to choose you next words very carefully, James. Your daughter's life hangs in the balance." Dr. Possible's face grew a deep shade of red and he sat back down, rubbing his face.

"Fine. I'll do whatever you want, just, please, don't hurt my daughter anymore… What is your demand Drew?"

"10 million dollars should suffice, wouldn't you say so, James? I want it deposited into my Swiss bank account as soon as possible. It'll be untouchable" Groans followed Drakken demand, but he ignores them.

"Fine… I'll make the arrangements… Please, don't-" The feed was cut before he could say anymore and it's silent. Shego lets out a sigh of relief. The ransom was being paid. Kimmie would be going home and be able to recover. Despite how she felt, she **really** didn't want to get involved. It could affect her chance at a fresh start and that's all she's wanted for the past year. There was no reason to get in the middle of this. Betty would only think she's back to her old ways and take back her offer.

Shego picked up her box off the ground and started to walk away, trying to think of ways to kick all their asses. The thought lasted for only a few seconds until she heard voices again. She looked back and found everyone in the room staring at Drakken.

"Oi, blueberry boy! Why only 10 Million? That's measly pennies to us and ya know it." Duff stood there, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, we could have gotten way more for her." Adrena Lynn chimed in. Drakken had his back to them all as he pulled up the recording of Kim.

"Because, it's not about the money. This is about revenge." A ding is heard and Drakken checks his computer, laughing evilly again. "He actually did it. Smart man. I guess I should send him the coordinates of this place."

"So, we're just gonna give her back, just like that?" Monkey Fist scowled, sitting and crossing his arms and legs. "I knew it was best not to trust this moron with the plan."

"Oh, but this moron isn't finished just yet." Drakken just laughed again before stopping, catching what he just said and glaring at Monkey Kung Fu Master as he smirks back. "You really know how to take all the fun away, you know that?" He pulled out a little black box with a single button on it and showed it to them as he pressed it. "There. We have approximately 30 minutes before the bomb in her cell goes off, so we'd better get going." Thud. The box fell from Shego's hands and she had to lean on the wall to stay upright. They were going to kill her…kill her… Shego couldn't just stand back and let that happen. Killing was the one thing she never did, no matter how much the job paid. She was a mercenary, not an assassin…

"What was that?" She suddenly snapped her head up when she heard Drakken say that and she snatched the box off the ground, running in the direction of the detention cells. She had to get Kimmie out of there before the bomb went off…

She was able to get to the cells without being spotted, but she had to hide in a broom closet to avoid the wave of henchmen running to get out of the lab. Drakken warned them of the bomb over the loudspeaker and it was practically a stampede.

"At least he cares about his employees, the bastard." She grumbled under her breath and started to leave the broom closet, ducking back in when she saw Drakken. He opened the door and walked in, approaching the woman on the floor. Shego slipped in after him, backing up into a corner and hiding in the shadows. He was way too close to Kim. If she tried anything, he would kill her on the spot. She didn't doubt that anymore. Drakken had finally been pushed over the edge.

"Looks like your family really wants to see you come home, Ms. Possible. You father even paid a 10-million-dollar ransom, isn't that sweet?" Kim just laid there, staring up at the ceiling, until Drakken gave her a sharp kick to the ribs and Shego had to literally hold herself back from beating the hell out of him. Kim cried out in pain and rolled away from the assault but Drakken grabbed her and sat her up. "You always thought you were all that, but this time… oh ho…. This time, I win." Her eyes widened and she pulled away from him in fear. "It's really just a shame this room will be blown to bits before they find you. Farewell, Kim Possible." He turned his back to her and walked away as Kim sat there, tears streaming down her face, streaking through the blood. She was going to die here...

The door shut behind Drakken and Kim just sat there, sobbing into her hands. She should have been so careful…. How had she let her guard down so much? This was supposed to be an easy mission, so simple that she didn't need her partner… The sound of footsteps made her look up and she sat back, looking into the emerald green eyes of Shego.

"Sh-Sh-Sheg-go…?" Kim stopped, squeezed her eyes shut, and grabbed her head. This wasn't real. The shocks were messing with her mind... She then felt fingers wrap around her wrists and pull them down, making her look into those eyes again. Was it really her?

"Kimmie… I'm going to get you out of here" Shego let go of Kim, grabbing onto the chains instead. Try as she might, however, she couldn't break them loose. Worse still, the action seemed to set off the chains because Kim locked up and started shaking all over. "Shit!" Shego let go of the chains and that seemed to stop it as Kim slumped back against the wall, breathing heavily.

"I-it's n-no use Sheg-go… Ju-just leave…"

***Warning: The building will self-destruct in T-Minus 5 minutes. ***

"Like hell I'm leaving you here, Princess." There had to something she could do, but what. She ignored Kim's protests and pulled out her nail file, trying to pick the lock on the chains, but that didn't work since it too set off the chains and shocked Kim, this time shocking Shego as well. Her teeth clenched as it coursed through her. This was what they put her through… She was going to kill each one of them…

**"T-Minus 3 minutes until detonation."**

"Shego! You ha...have to l-leave!" Kim tried to push her away, but she was too weak.

"No! I'm not just going to leave you to die!" Shego lit her hands and looked around for the bomb but the room looked almost empty, except for Kim. Where the hell would Drakken have hidden it? He's not supposed to be this smart...

**"T-Minus 1 minute."**

"You have to go!" Kim was crying openly now and trying harder to push Shego away, but she just stood there, a frustrated expression on her face.

**"30 seconds"**

"Sorry, Princess, but I don't take orders from you. Hold still." Shego wrapped her arms around the smaller woman and pulled her down to the ground, trying her best to cover Kim with her own body to shield her from the blast.

***Boom***

Kim cried out as they were both flung against the wall from the explosion and Shego could feel rocks and shrapnel pelt her back. She knew she would be fine since she could take a lot of damage, thanks to her accelerated healing, but Kim had no such ability, so she used herself as a human shield to protect her. If she could protect Kim, she didn't care what happened to herself. When the last of the debris fell around them, Shego looked around the dark dust filled room. It was destroyed, but thanks to Drakken being an idiot and not placing the bomb closer, there wasn't much damage done near them. She shoved the chunk of wall off her back and look down at Kim.

"See? We're okay...Princess?" Shego felt her heart stop as she saw the flow of fresh blood spilling down the left side of Kim's face, from her eye.

"Sh-Shego…" Kim reached up to touch her eye and felt all the blood. There was so much of it… "I...it won't st-stop Shego… Th-the bleeding WON'T STOP!" Shego tightened her hold on Kim, hiding her own tears. Something must have hit her face from the explosion but there was no telling how bad the damage. It was probably just like any other head wound and just bled a lot…

"Shh… Princess… E... everything will be okay… Damn it Drakken!" She growled and carefully let go of Kim to stand up. She had to get these chains off her. She gingerly tugged at them and was relieved to see that they didn't shock either of them. Whatever was powering them must have been damaged. Shego felt her hands light up and without a second thought, she sliced right through the chains with her plasma. That should have been the first thing she'd tried. Why hadn't she done that? She cut each of the chains off and lifted Kim into her arms, carefully carrying her around all the rubble that was once the room. In the corner, she spotted her box, slightly squashed by a rock, but mostly fine. She picked it up and gave it to Kim to hold, while she tried to find a way out.

Kim just laid back in her arms, covering her eye, and sobbing deeply from the pain all tearing through her body. She couldn't let Shego see her cry again, but everything just hurt so much, and she'd tried so hard not to let it show before that it was like a dam had broken. Shego just kept looking forward as she carried Kim, not once looking at her as she cried. She had everything taken from her, the least she could do was let her cry with dignity. Shego carried her all the way to the helipad, her jet leaning to the side a bit from where the roof caved in. She brought Kim inside and laid her down on the floor before putting her jacket over the redhead to keep her warm.

"Don't worry pumpkin… We'll get you fixed up." Shego dug around the jet and found the first aid kit, bandaging Kim's eye. It was fine, she just had to keep telling herself that, but as much as she wanted to believe it, she suspected the worst. There was so much blood…

Shego made sure Kim was as comfortable as possible before sitting in the pilot's seat. As she started up the jet, she could see a series of hovercrafts flying away in the distance. Those bastards had still been here. They watched it happen and really thought Kimmie was dead. She growled to herself and flew the jet out of there. She had to get Kim somewhere safe, and there was only one place she could think of. Thankfully the jet had autopilot so she was able to tend to Kim's injuries while they flew, but there were injuries that she couldn't take care of and could only keep them wrapped up to keep them from bleeding, and she didn't even know where to start with treating her eye… No, she would need Erin's help… In between flying the jet, she kept trying to make the smaller girl sleep, but she kept insisting that she wasn't tired.

"I'm not tired, Shego..." Kim glared at her but it was hard to hold the expression with the way she felt.

"Bullshit Princess, you have to be exhausted." Shego shoved a pillow under her head and found a blanket in one of her boxes, tossing that onto Kim. Kim's eyes kept drooping but then would suddenly snap open.

"I don't want to sleep. Please… I'm fine... " Shego stared at her for a moment before sighing heavily.

"Fine, you don't have to sleep. Just try not to move too much. We're almost there." She could see it in Kim's eye, just how much pain she was in, even if she tried to hide it.

"Thank you…" Shego stood and went back to the seat, preparing to land. If Kim didn't want to sleep now, that was fine, but she was going to make sure Erin gave her something that knocked her out for at least 12 hours...

Once the jet was on the ground, Shego made a phone call as she wrapped Kim tightly in the blanket from before.

"Hey, it's me. I need a favor… No, I don't have the money to pay you back right now…. Well, it's kind of important." She let out an exasperated sigh and glanced at Kim. "Please, it's important, you know I would ask like this if it wasn't… Great! We're right outside." Shouting could be heard coming from the phone and Kim can't help but chuckle, wincing in pain afterwards.

"A friend of yours?" Shego, lifted her up but didn't look right at her, blushing just the tiniest bit.

"You could say that. She's a doctor and I trust her with my life." She opened the hatch and carried Kim out of the jet into the blank white snow-covered land that was Montana. She hadn't been here in a long time, for good reasons, but seeing as this was the one person she could trust, she would have to suck it up. The moment the door was opened, Kim felt the bitter cold surround her and it made her shrink back more into the blankets.

"Sorry Pumpkin, I'll get you inside and warmed up soon…" Shego carried Kim a short way to a large house and went to know at the door but it flew open.

Inside, there was a woman about Shego's age and judging by the scowl on her face, she didn't seem to be very happy.

"So, you just expected me to help you, didn't you? What would you have done if I'd said no?"

"I had nowhere else to go, and like I said, it's really important…" The woman looked at the smaller woman in Shego's arm's and all the anger left her. "Please Erin…"

"Jesus Christ… What happened to her?" She let them in and made Shego explain everything while she gathered everything. To think that a group of people would attack a woman to this extent...She couldn't fathom it. She unwrapped the bandages and felt her heart break more at the sight of each new injury. The girl was only a few years younger than them and she was hurt so badly...

"I'd say it looks worse than it really is, but I'd be lying… It's pretty fucking bad…"

"L-language…" Shego couldn't help but smirk at that. Even when in immense pain, she still had that goody two-shoes attitude.

"Let me get her cleaned up so I know what I'm working with…" Kim flinched at every touch and was still fighting sleep, from what Shego could tell, so she whispered to Erin and asked her to give her something for pain and put her to sleep.

"Sh-Shego...?" Kim's eyes started to droop after Shego's friend injected her with something, but she was panicking and fighting it more, though it was more difficult than before. "I don't want to sleep, please... " Tears built up again and spilled over faster than before and it tore at Shego. "Please...I don't want to...Don't make me sleep..." Kim pleads grew more frantic and she tried to get up, so Erin had to apply a bit of pressure to keep her on the table. Unfortunately, it was near one of her injuries and she cried out, pulling away from her. The cry made Shego grab her hand instinctively and she began to whisper softly to her to calm her.

"Shh…. Shh... I'm right here. It's okay..." Kim's face crumpled and she started crying again, squeezing Shego's hand to make herself stay awake. "Please Kimmie, you gotta sleep..." Shego placed a hand on her head and stroked her hair, trying to calm her down.

"I can't… I can't… Don't make me…" The medicine was finally starting to hit her and even though she fought hard, she was losing the battle.

"I'll be here when you wake up, okay? I won't go anywhere… You're safe, I promise..." Hearing that seemed to help calm her and her shaking started to slow down. Despite how hard she fought, Kim finally fell asleep.

"Sara…" Shego lifted her head and looked at Erin when she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let me take care of her…"

"Please… Do anything you can to help her…"

"I don't know what to do about her eye…The damage is pretty severe." She looked down at her and Kim's joined hands and felt her own tears spilling over.

"I know… I know..." She knew but she didn't want to believe it. She could have prevented this… Shego stood up and gave Erin the space she needed to take care of Kim, only stepping out when she had to undress her.

It was strange, seeing the power suit on the floor in a crumpled heap. This thing had protected Kim for years, how had they managed to get her in the first place? They had all seemed fine and in one piece. Didn't she put up a fight? Kim's been caught before, even her worst injuries were nowhere near as bad as this… As she watched Erin begin to treat Kim's wounds, she made a silent promise to herself that she'd make each one of them pay for what they did to her Pumpkin.

* * *

**Welcome to the end of the chapter! Honestly, I know it's probably coming off as a bit rushed, but that's because it is. Now, if you beautiful readers have caught on to it, this story is based on an amazingly drawn mini comic that I stumbled across called Lost Eye by Sugintou on DeviantArt. Please, take the opportunity to check them out as their art is amazing! I only came across it and it gave me so much inspiration! I hope you enjoyed is so far and look forward to more soon. -MercyVale**


	3. A Million Emotions

**This one was a little a harder to write than I thought I would be. I'm what people call an emotional little shit and get very attached to the characters I write, so when they get emotional, I channel what they're feeling and then _I_ start feeling bad. I'm glad I was able to finish it though. Time for some well-deserved gaming... Sike! Gotta work on Chapter 16 of Good Dog _ Pray for me lovelies... -MercyVale**

* * *

Chapter Three: A Million Emotions

"So. You gonna tell me while Kim Possible is laying in my guest room when she's supposed to be dead?" Shego was out of her seat in an instant and she pushed Erin against the wall.

"How the hell did you know about that?!" Erin pushed back and made Shego sit before sitting beside her.

"Relax Sara… geez. It's all over the news." Erin pulled out her phone and went to YouTube, showing it to Shego. Almost every video posted in the last 6 hours is about Kim. The images shown are the lab where they'd escaped, but it seems even more destroyed than she remembered.

"So, they really think she's dead…" She sighed and ran a hand through her hair as she leaned over and checked out the other room. She explained all that she knew to Erin, not mentioning her own moments of self-doubt when she was trying to free Kim. "You know, maybe it's for the better that everyone thinks he killed her…"

"What about her family? They need to know she's okay." Erin frowned as she examined Shego's back, patching up any cuts she received from the explosion. "Stop moving. You got glass and bits of metal everywhere…" Shego was trying her hardest not to move but Erin wasn't being exactly gentle.

"You don't get it. You saw what they did to her. What do you think would happen if they found out she was alive?" Erin paused, frowning.

"They'd try to take her out while she's hurt and vulnerable…"

"Exactly… I dare them to try and get anywhere near her." Shego cracked her knuckles, scowling, but almost fell out of her seat when Erin pulled a particularly large piece of metal from her back. "Fucking hell…"

"Hold still, you big baby…" She leaned over on to the table and had to concentrate on not lighting up. Erin would kill her if she burned something, again... "You know, it's weird seeing you worry about someone other than yourself, especially when it's someone you've had conflict with for years."

"Today was the first time I'd seen her in over a year, actually." Erin cleaned and bandaged the last of her wounds and Shego pulled her shirt back on. "I've been in prison…"

"When is that something new?" Erin scoffed and began cleaning and disinfecting everything. "You've been in and out of prison for all the years I've known you."

"Yeah, but it's different this time. Hell, I turned myself in…" That made Erin stop and look at her in disbelief.

"Seriously?" This wasn't the same Sara she'd known.

"I don't want to do this anymore, Erin. I'm just so tired…" Shego sat in a chair, rubbing her sore shoulder. "I just want something simpler, and I still won't get that. In a month, I'll be working for Global Justice." She didn't add that she was going to probably go back to prison for murder after she finished killing everyone who hurt Kim.

"Global Justice? You're kidding, right?" She just shook her head and Erin sighed, massaging her temple. "I think I need a drink after that… You…. you want one?" Erin walked over to her liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of scotch.

"Just a beer, if you have any." Shego leaned back in the chair and look back through the open door of the guest room. Kim was still asleep and seemed fine, according to all the monitors Erin attached to her, though every now and then the heart monitor would spike. Erin told her that was to be expected after what she'd been put through. Now that Kim was free of all the blood and all bandaged up, she looked a lot better, though there was a lot of bruising. Nothing was too severe, so she'd be fine in a few weeks. Then there was her eye, and Shego wasn't sure how she'd explain that to her…

"You really care about her, huh?" Erin came back over and handed her a beer, which she cracked open and downed half almost instantly.

"I guess I do… I mean, I've always seen her as like, my sparring partner. I looked forward to when we fought because she was the only one who actually made me push myself."

"So, she's like a friend to you then." Shego looked at Erin for a second before looking back to Kim, nodding. "She must at least be a friend for you to have saved her."

"You could say that…." Erin watched her for a moment before she set her glass down and walked over to her, a hand on her hip.

"Do you love her?" Shego nearly spit out her beer at that and looked at Erin like she'd grown another head.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Erin was uncomfortable about this subject, but it had been eating at her since they both arrived at her doorstep.

"It's just… The way you look at her… That's how you used to look at me…" Erin's voice softened with each word as her face blushed a bright shade of red and she turned away.

"Erin…" Shego blushed as well and reached out to her but Erin pulled away, sitting down with her glass again.

"Ahh… Forget what I said. It was stupid..." They sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes, both very focused on their drinks, until Shego cleared her throat.

"I uh...I'm sorry… I never really told you that, did I?" She took another drink from her beer before setting it down. "I mean it though. I _am_ sorry. You really deserved someone who was there with you all the time, not in and out of prison or traveling all around the world with a blue idiot who barely knew his left from his right."

"That didn't bother me, and you knew that. I loved you and I was willing to wait for you, no matter what. I may not have always liked what you did for a living, but you were happy, and I was happy with you." Erin got up to get more scotch and get away from Shego. "Why did you do it? Why did you call off the engagement? Didn't you love me anymore?"

"Of course I still loved you! How could you say that? I never stopped."

"You just didn't love me the same way, right?" **That** made Shego look down and she clenched her jaw to avoid saying anything. "It's okay… I think I finally understand it now."

"Understand what?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure it'll make sense to you eventually."

"You're being weird again."

Erin chuckled, sitting down beside her again, and finished her drink. They fell back into silence and Erin watched as Shego's gaze slowly drifted back to Kim. She was beyond dense if she didn't notice how she was when it came to that girl.

"Hey, Sara?".

"...Yeah…?" She was distracted as she said it and Erin just sighed, setting the glass down.

"Instead of sitting out here, why don't you go sit with her? It sure seems like she'd be happy to see you when she wakes up." Shego sighed, rubbing her neck again, and grabbed her beer, finishing the rest in a gulp.

"I _was _going to give her some space to sleep, but you have a point…" She threw the bottle away and grabbed another one from the fridge.

"Hey! You can't just help yourself to those, asshole! They're not cheap!" Shego just walked right past her, waving her off.

"Yeah yeah. I'll buy you more when I get the chance. I'll be over here if you need me." She went into Kim's room and pulled a chair over to the side of the bed. Erin just scowled and poured herself another drink before going to her own room, grumbling about mooching surprise guests. Shego sat down next to Kim's bed and reached out slowly, brushing a bit of hair from her face. Her expression is calm, far from the look of panic and fear when they were trying to get her to rest. She stayed with Kim all night, sleeping on and off in the chair or watching Erin when she came in to check her vitals. The longer she slept, Kim started looking even better. She was still pale as hell, but she'd regained a lot of color back. Everything seemed normal, except for short periods where Kim would whimper in her sleep or move restlessly. Shego knew it was probably bad dreams she was having, and she had no doubt what the dreams could be about, so she stayed with her throughout it all and talked to her. It seemed to help her, and it gave Shego something to do when she couldn't sleep. She was prepared to stay with her like this forever if she really had to.

* * *

The next morning, the sleep inducer wore off and Kim finally began to wake up, holding the side of her head as a mild throbbing pulsed through it.

"I feel like I got hit by a truck…" She moved her hand to rub her eyes, but another hand stopped hers.

"Don't do that…" She jumped at the voice and turned to look at the source. Shego was leaning on the bed, using it as a pillow while she'd slept in the chair. "You can't touch your eye, Princess. Erin will kill me if I let you mess up your stitches…"

"Shego? What's going on?" Kim frowned and looked around in confusion until it slowly began to come back to her. "Wait..." She grabbed the blanket and flung it off, examining her body and finding the bandages that covered her wound. The heart monitor started to go off as her heart rate sped, causing Erin to run in to make sure nothing's wrong.

"Sara! What-" Erin stopped, watching as Kim slowly reached her hand up to her eye, touching the bandages.

"It wasn't a dream…"

"Kim…" She flinched and looked at Shego, tears forming in the uncovered eye. They spilled over as she leaned over, wrapping her arms around the shocked green woman.

"You saved me…" She felt Shego return the embrace, albeit hesitantly. "Thank you…" Shego winced, lowering her head to hide her face. Why was Kim thanking her? Why wasn't she mad at her? She should be mad at her…

"You can't do that, Princess... You're not supposed to thank me…" Kim pulled away, confused, and watched as Shego moved a hand to her face, not touching the bandages, and met her eyes when she raised her head. She could see how red Shego's eyes were from crying, not to mention the fresh tears that were spilling from her eyes. She was really upset about this… About her eye… It was just as bad as she thought it was, back in the jet. Before Shego bandaged it, she remembered her vision being hazy and being filled by a bright light. She's… That's why Shego was upset… She blamed herself...

"Hey…" Kim placed a hand on her arm and put another on her head, petting her hair. "It's okay…"

"This shouldn't… I mean… The eye… It…" Shego looked away, not wanting to look her in the eye.

"Shego…" Seeing Shego cry made her feel weird… It felt wrong to see her like this.

"This shouldn't have happened!" Kim pulled her closer, trying to comfort her.

"It's okay. No big. No big…"

"What the hell do you mean 'no big'?!" Shego suddenly pulled away and stood up. "In case you haven't noticed, your eye is fucked up. You've lost most, if not all, of your vision, and you're saying it's 'no big'?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Sara…" Erin placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her, but it only made her more upset.

"Don't!" She shrugged it off and stomped towards the door, leaving Kim and Erin both stunned.

Kim immediately sat up completely and started ripping off all the electrodes from the monitors, causing Erin to run over and try and reattach them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kim grabbed her hands and stared into her eyes.

"Get these off of me."

"You're in no condition to-"

"I wasn't asking. You can either take them off, or I will, and I don't think you want me yanking out this needle." Erin glared at her and Kim glared back. It was a battle of wills and Erin lost very quickly. She agreed to take everything off but made Kim hold onto her as she slowly walked out of the room.

It didn't take very long to find Shego. She was out on Erin's back deck, looking out at the snow and smoking a cigarette. Despite all of Erin's protests, Kim opened the sliding door and stepped outside, the bitter cold of the snow under her bare feet traveling up her whole body and making her shiver. Shego turned around at the sound of the door and all her anger leaves her.

"Kim!" She threw the cigarette and ran over to Kim, trying to pick her up. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You'll freeze out here." Kim put her hands on Shego's arms and pushed her away, her teeth chattering.

"You think I'm not upset about this?! Of course I'm upset! I could be completely blind in one eye and I won't know until these bandages come off!" Tears flow from her good eye as she continued to push Shego back as the older woman just stood there, taking it. "I feel so...humiliated, and vulnerable, and angry that this happened! But it's not your fault!"

"It is! I should have thought to use my plasma to break the chains! I would have gotten you out of there before the bomb exploded!"

"But what if the same thing happened? You think that was the only bomb Drakken planted? He's not as dumb as we think he is! He's the whole reason I was caught! It was his plan and I fell for it!" Kim's legs began to buckle under her and Shego picked her up, carrying her back inside. "I fell for it and now I'm stuck like this…" Shego wanted to kick herself. She was so worried that Kim would blame her for what happened that she never thought about how Kim felt. That she would blame herself for getting caught in the first place.

She placed Kim back in bed and climbed in with her, covering her lap with the blanket and wrapping her arms around her. Kim started to protest but quieted down when she felt the warmth spread through her. Shego lifted a hand to show her the faint wispy that surrounded it. Not enough to burn, but enough to warm up the freezing woman beside her. Kim reached out and very slowly touched her hand, flinching back when she felt the heat.

"It won't hurt you… It's safe…" Kim nodded and touched her hand again, marveling at the warmth and the hypnotic swirls of the glow.

"It feels nice…" She smiled at the feeling and locked her fingers with Shego's, bringing their hands up to her face. She pressed her cold cheek against Shego's hand and sighed, smiling more. "So warm…" Shego really couldn't help but blush as this. Kim Possible was nuzzling her hand, enjoying the warmth from her glow. It wasn't something that she ever expected to happen.

"Getting comfortable there, Kimmie?" Kim blushed and let go of her hand.

"Sorry, I was just colder than I thought." Shego chuckled and held Kim's hand again.

"It's okay. I'll be your personal space heater for now." She pulled Kim against her and Kim enjoyed how warm she was now.

"If you two are done flirting with each other, I've got breakfast." Erin came in with a bed tray that had two plates on it. Both plates had bacon, eggs, and toast, and there were two glasses of orange juice. Shego focused on the flirting comment but Kim was too focused on the food to even think about it. She hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday when she had the apple and the rum. She dove right in when Erin set the tray down and barely slowed down, only stopping once to gulp down more than half of her orange juice.

"Wow, she's really hungry…" Erin watched her, surprised how quickly she was putting away the food. "I knew I should have made pancakes too… I'll go get her some seconds, hang on." Erin stepped out and Shego picked at her food. She wasn't hungry, but she ate a little more than half and then gave the rest to Kim, who was already almost done.

"Slow down, Princess. You're going to make yourself sick." Kim was finishing the last few bites when there was a crackling sound of electricity that came from the kitchen.

"Sorry! Left a spoon in the microwave and-" Shego didn't catch what Erin said after that. She was too focused on following Kim as she half-jumped out of the bed and tried to run/limp out of the room quickly. Kim didn't make it too far though and ran into Erin as she was coming back into the room.

"Princess, wait!" Shego reached out and grabbed her before she fell. Kim fought against the hold and elbowed Shego in the ribs, as hard as she could. She got her good, knocking the wind out of her. "Damn it… Princess, you're lucky you're cute and injured or I'd kick your ass…" She wheezed out and practically dragged Kim back to bed. "I need you to relax…" Shego knew what freaked her out so much out, but they weren't going to get anywhere with her like this. "Come on, relax…" Kim latched onto Shego and buried her face into her shoulder.

"What the hell did I miss?" Erin set down a bowl of oatmeal and grabbed a box of tissues, handing a few to Shego.

"Remember how I told you they used electrocution on her?" Erin nods, frowning. She wasn't happy and she had to monitor Kim's heart rate all night because of it. "When you left that spoon in the microwave, the sound sent her into a panic. I didn't expect her to move that fast…"

"Not to mention how hard she nailed you with her elbow."

"Don't remind me… I think it's safe to say she's got more energy than before." Shego kept holding Kim, rubbing her back until she started to calm down. "You feeling better, Kimmie?" Kim just nodded, swiping at her good eye.

"I'm...sorry…" Shego stroked her cheek, brushing away a stray tear, and then lifted her chin to make her look up.

"You can cry on my shoulder all you want, okay? I won't get mad." She gave her a smile and Kim gave her a small one in return.

"I've been crying a lot…"

"And you've been through a lot, so you get a pass to cry all you want." Kim sighed and leaned against Shego, watching as Erin picked up the flung tray and plates off the floor.

"I'm sorry about that…" Erin just waved it off with a smile.

"This is nothing, don't worry about it. I've had patients do ten times worse than this."

"It'll be better when I get home…" Erin stopped cleaning and looked up, sharing a look with Shego before the green woman sighed, turning Kim to look at her.

"Princess… Everyone thinks you're dead." Kim froze and moved away from Shego more, staring at her.

"What?"

"It's the only thing that's being talked about on the news. They think you died in that explosion." Kim looked at Erin, who nodded in agreement.

"It's true…"

"I... I need to tell them I'm okay… They need to know I'm alive." Kim started to get out of the bed but Shego pulled her back.

"I can't let you do that."

"And why not? Last I checked, you don't control me. My family needs to know that I'm okay."

"And when it gets out that you're alive, Drakken or one of those goons, or even all of them will show up and try to finish the job, and in the state that you're in, you wouldn't be able to fight any of them off. I definitely didn't save your ass just to watch you throw it all away."

"Then what am I supposed to do? Play dead?"

"It would give you time to heal." Kim, who had been joking, groaned and rubbed her forehead.

"What about my family? I can't just leave them out of the loop. It must be killing them, thinking I'm gone. I can't keep putting them through that…"

"It'll only backfire on you. What if one of them is taken and held hostage? You are in no condition to fight your way out of a paper bag, let alone any one of those fuckers that hurt you. Remember who used to be the bad guy. I know how their minds work."

"_Used to_ _be the bad guy_? What do you mean by that?" Shego was silent at first, and just shook her head.

"Don't worry about it, Princess… It's a long story so we'll save it for another day…"

"Alright…"

Shego made her lie back on the pillow and tucked the blanket around her.

"You look exhausted. You should get some rest. You had a rough morning… We'll talk about this more after you've gotten some more sleep." Shego started to get up but noticed Kim was still holding onto her arm. "You want me to stay, don't you?" Kim bit her lip, looking away, and nodded.

"I'll try to sleep this time, but I don't want to be alone… Could you..." She felt the bed shift and watched as Shego got comfortable, fixing the blanket over her lap.

"Come on." She pulled Kim closer and Kim got comfortable, leaning against her. Out of the corner of her eye, Shego saw Erin making kissy faces at them, which made her scowl. She gave her the finger while at the same time flicking a tiny ball of plasma at her. Erin dodged it and yelped, running out of the room.

"If you burn anything in there, I'll kick your ass!" Shego started to say something but stopped when she felt Kim shaking. The smaller woman was covering her mouth and trying very hard not to laugh.

"Everything alright there, Princess?" Kim just nodded and grinned, looking up at Shego. Trying to be funny, she attempted to mimic what Erin did, making the kissy faces, but stops when Shego gives her a glare.

"Sorry, but it was kind of funny. She's not really subtle, is she?"

"Nope, and it's starting to piss me off." Kim watched her as she leaned her head back, still frowning.

"Ahh...sorry…"

"It's not your fault, Kim." She paused, sighing, "It's not even her fault… Well, not _entirely_ her fault." She glanced at Kim and shook her head, looking away. "It's alright. Don't worry about it." She was going to have some words with Erin later for putting the thought in her head that she might like Kim. It was all she could think about now…

"Are you sure?" Shego tightened her hold on Kim and stroked her hair, giving her a weak smile.

"Yeah, it's okay." Only now was she more aware of how protective of Kim she was becoming. It wasn't a guarantee that it was because she had feelings for her, but she couldn't help but think about it more and more.

How _did _she view Kim now? Like a little sister? Gross. Like a friend? Well, she felt as though the whole situation cause them to form some sort of bond, but was that bond strong enough to be called love? Shego was starting to grasp onto how she felt but knowing how Kim felt about her was a mystery to her. Kim seemed to latch onto her, but that could have just been because she'd saved her, and it was her way of showing her how much she appreciated it. Shego held Kim close to her and waited for her to fall asleep so she could go give Erin a piece of her mind but while she was so focused on that, she wasn't aware of how tired she was herself and soon enough, they're both asleep. Erin came back in and threw a blanket over Shego and check over Kim as she slept, noting that she seemed more comfortable than she was before and much calmer in her sleep. She continued to tend to her until her doorbell rang and signaled that she had another patient. She left a note for Shego or Kim to find when one of them woke up and shut and locked their door, so no one would know they were there.

* * *

A few hours pass before Kim woke up and she found that Shego was still in the bed with her, her arms still wrapped around her torso as they lay together. Despite Shego's firm hold, she was able to sit up just enough to slip out of it and carefully walk to the bathroom. When she was done, she looked herself over in the mirror, this being the first time seeing her face. Her eye is bandaged over, but she could see a jagged cut poking out from just under the bandages. It was red and scabbed over but still looked bad. She gently touched her cheek, brushing her fingers across the cut and pulled her hand away when it triggered a sharp pain.

"Damn it…" She'd have to avoid touching her face. It hurt more than anything else so she knew that it would take a while to heal. Her body didn't feel as sore as it did earlier, but the sight of all the bandages and bruises bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

Kim finished up in the bathroom and limped out slowly, finding Shego awake and holding a towel and a bin of water that appeared to be steaming.

"There you are. We can't leave the room for a while. Erin has some patients right now and is giving us privacy." Kim comes over to the bed and sits at the edge of it, looking at everything.

"What's all this?"

"She gave this to me and told me to help you get washed up so I can change your bandages." Kim's eyes widened and, self-consciously, she gripped the hospital gown she was wearing and pulled it up.

"You'll see me naked if you do that!"

"Kimmie, first, we're both women so it's not like it's anything that I haven't seen on myself. Just a different skin tone. Second, I won't look at the important bits, okay? I'll let you wash those, but you can't wash your back and I don't want you pulling at your stitches." Kim's face flushed red and she reluctantly nodded.

"Alright… but like you said, no looking!" Kim waited until Shego covered her eyes before she removed the gown. She covered everything she didn't want seen before telling her it was okay.

Shego didn't say anything, which surprised Kim. She fully expected some remark to make her feel better or make her laugh, but she just stood there, silent, as she washed her body. When she finished, Kim took care of everything else and dried herself off.

"Here, Erin said you could have these. She's taller than you but we can just roll up the pants a bit to fit you." Shego handed her some clothes and let Kim get dressed in private by covering her eyes, only helping when Kim asked for it or stopping her to put fresh bandages on her. When she was dressed in everything but a shirt, Shego helped her over to a sink and very carefully, so not to wet her bandages, Shego washed her hair. "Don't get used to it, Princess. When you're back to 100%, I expect you to wash your own hair." Kim notices the slight smirk on her lips as she dried her hair. There was her Shego… _Her_ Shego? Where had that come from? She felt her face start to get hot and instinctively, she covered her face as she blushed. "Kim? Are you okay?" She just nodded and rubbed her face.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about something…" Shego just nodded and brought her back to the bed, making her sit before she brushed her hair. When she finished, Shego put her hair in a ponytail and stood up, grabbing the bandages again.

"Alright. This is the hard part, Kimmie. You ready?" She knew exactly what Shego was preparing to do, and if she was being honest with herself, she wasn't ready.

"Not really... Do it…" The taller woman nodded and took a deep breath before slowly snipping off the bandages that wrapped around her eye. Kim felt her remove them and take in a sharp breath. With the bandages and gauze gone, she could open her eye lid again, but when she did, she wasn't prepared for what she saw. "Shego… It's…" She watched as Shego's own eyes watered and she turned away from Kim, struggling with her emotions. Kim stood up and walked over to the mirror, looking at her uncovered eye.

It was exactly what she'd expected, and she was still torn up. The white of her eye was a level of bloodshot she'd only seen in video games and the pupil and iris were clouded over. By what, she didn't know, she would have to ask Erin, but it was the last thing on her mind… Like before, she touched her face, feeling the injuries, but this time she didn't pull back. Instead, she began to cry and had to hold onto the sink to keep herself upright. She cried from the pain and she cried because of her appearance, but mostly, she cried because the only things she would ever see with her eye was a world of shadows. She felt Shego grab her and instead of pulling away, she turned, hugging her tightly and crying into her chest. Shego just held her and let her cry as much as she needed, unable to hide the tears she was shedding for her too.


	4. Fighting Love

**Hello there! I'm very proud to present this chapter to you all. I have taken my time with it and went over it several times so it should be perfect! I want to thank you for the reviews, and I have done my best to adjust the writing to fix any errors in the previous chapters. Please enjoy and let me know if there is anything else I can improve on! -Mercy Vale**

* * *

Chapter Four: Fighting Love

"I'm so sorry, Kim…" Shego was ready to kill someone over this. She really had hoped that maybe Kim's eye would be alright in time, but deep down she knew that it was impossible. She'd seen just how bad the damage was when Erin was treating her wounds. Kim didn't say anything, but she let Shego carry her back to bed and didn't move while fresh bandages and gauze was placed around her eye. Shego then handed her a small cup of pills and she swallowed them with water before she grabbed the covers and laid back down.

"I'm tired… Let me go back to sleep…" Shego was surprised to see her going to sleep willingly after struggling with her for the past day and a half.

"Kimmie…" Shego started to protest, knowing that Kim was not in the best mindset. "Come on, Pumpkin. You slept for a long time already, get up." Shego grabbed Kim's arm and put her other hand on her shoulder as she tried to make her sit up.

"Just go and leave me alone, Shego." Kim tried to push Shego's hands away, but she was very persistent. Shego made her sit up and put shoes on her feet, which caught Kim's attention. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm taking your ass outside for some fresh air before I get the urge to knock some sense into you. If you think you're just going to lay there and feel sorry for yourself, you are sorely mistaken. Now, let's go." Shego pulled her up and made her walk, carefully, to the door before opening it. Kim wanted to argue but she didn't have the energy for it. Shego would get tired of dealing with her eventually anyway. After making sure the coast was clear, Shego slipped out and came back a few minutes later with coats and hats. She also wanted to know where Erin was when they left so she pulled her aside and pretended to just give her an update on Kim, saying she's really feeling down about losing half her vision and that she was going to find something to help her feel better. Erin accepted that a lot easier than Shego thought she would and headed back in the direction of Kim's room, sneaking upstairs when Erin couldn't see her. Didn't take her long to find a couple of coats and hats. She grabbed a pair of gloves for Kim but none for herself since she didn't really need them. Shego crept back downstairs, unnoticed, and slipped into Kim's room where the redhead was startled by her return. Kim thought Shego was joking about going outside but she was proved wrong by the jackets in her hands.

"You're really going to make me do this, aren't you?" Kim asked as Shego helped her into a coat. She only nodded and made sure it was zipped before putting the hat on her and pulling the hood up.

"There, no one will know it's you." Kim sighed and fixed the hat, pulling it back so she could see better before realizing it's just the bandages.

"Aren't we out in the middle of nowhere? What does it matter if I wear the hat?" Shego put her own jacket on and donned the hat before opening the door.

"1. This is Montana, Cupcake. We're near the mountains, there's snow everywhere and it's damn cold out there for you. 2. Even though Erin lives in a low population area, she gets people out here all the time. Remember, this is a doctor's office, so she always has someone here, sometimes more than one. The last thing I want is someone spotting you."

"I guess… You're still trying to convince me to not tell everyone I'm alive, aren't you?" Shego remembered the look on Kim's face when she said she wasn't going to let anyone know she was alive. Maybe the way she said it was a little harsh, but she had only been thinking about Kim's wellbeing. Still, she couldn't just force her to stay in hiding. That was something she would have to decide for herself. Shego shrugged and lead Kim out of the room while making sure she took her time and didn't strain herself.

"If you want to tell everyone you're alive, I can't really stop you, but it's safer if you stay hiding and you know it. I already told you, you're in no shape to try and take any of those assholes if they try and come for you and they might just finish the job. Drakken could probably pull one over on you and that's far from good." Shego lead her to the back door and opened it before walking outside with Kim carefully.

Kim was thinking over what Shego said as walked with Shego and the snow crunched under their feet. She didn't want to admit it, but she was right. With how hurt she was, she wouldn't be able to defend herself against anyone… But to let the world think she's dead? That was so messed up… And her family? Ron? It just felt wrong. She at least wanted them to know, but Ron never was the best at keeping secrets...

"If I _were_ to stay in hiding, hypothetically of course, how would I take care of myself? I wouldn't be able to stay in your friend's house forever." Shego scoffed, waving her off as they walked carefully through the snow.

"Easy. You'd stay with me I have a place out here, just as private and nearly as big as Erin's." Kim stopped walking and looked at Shego, confused. Shego has been uncharacteristically kind to her, almost like she was hit with that old Attitudinator, but she wasn't, and Kim had already been becoming suspicious about her actions. What was in it for her?

"Why would I stay with you?" Kim paused and sighed. "That came out wrong. I don't mean to sound like-"

"An asshole?" Shego smirked at her and Kim just rolled her eyes, walking again.

"I was _going_ to say jerk." She grumbled and stuffed her hands in her pockets. "You swear a lot, Shego."

"And you don't swear enough. How old are you now? 19? I bet you've never even said the word Fuck, have you?"

"I'm 22!" Kim tried to shove Shego, but the taller woman easily dodged it, still laughing. "And no, I haven't. I wasn't aware that once I became an adult, I had to swear every other sentence."

"Well, you should try it. It's good for the soul. Let's you get all that negative energy out." Shego chuckled and nudged Kim's arm. Kim just shook her head, trying not to smile.

"I say damn sometimes, but it's usually just when something bothers me. I feel bad when I try to say anything else."

"That's because you're a goodie-goodie." Kim scowled and shot a glare in her direction.

"I hate it when you call me that."

"And that's why I love it. Now come on, I want you to walk some more. You'll feel a lot less sore once you get active again. You're lucky they didn't break anything, but you do have a couple of bruised ribs. That'll take a while to heal but you'll barely feel them with all the pain meds you've been on."

"I've _broken_ a few ribs before, so I'll take bruised any day." Kim was trying to be brave about it, but honestly, she was just tired of Shego seeing her cry so much. She'd done too much of that.

They walked in silence for a bit and looked at the scenery around them. Occasionally, if they were lucky, they would come across a deer or a ram. They only changed directions once when Shego spotted a big grizzly bear. The last thing she wanted was her and Kimmie getting chased down by a bear. She'd make it, but Kim wouldn't be able to outrun a full Shego helped Kim stepped over a fallen log as they continued their walk and Kim was finding it a lot easier to move around now, despite how tired she had become. She felt as if she could walk for another 30 minutes. Shego, sick of how quiet it became, started to think of a conversation starter.

"So, you're 22, huh? Let me guess, no alcohol either for you?"

"I never said that. I like a good drink just as much as anyone else, preferably rum." This surprised Shego. It just wasn't something she'd ever pictured Kim doing. She was about to say just that, but Kim stopped and grabbed Shego's arm to steady herself when she felt dizzy. "Sorry… I think I'm just getting tired…" She was ready to suggest they head back, but Shego was already ahead of her and she was a bit startled when she was lifted off the ground. "H-hey! What are you doing?!"

"Relax Princess. I'm just carrying you, so you don't fall and hurt yourself. Erin would kill me if she had to patch you up all over again."

"But I was fine walking by myself before." Kim crossed her arms and tried not to pout as Shego carried her.

"You were, but I can feel you shivering, and I can walk faster than you." Kim tried to argue but had to admit that Shego was right. Shego carried her back to the house easily and in half the time it took them to get where they had been. Erin was waiting out on the deck and Shego could tell she wasn't happy.

"I want her back in bed, right now. You can't just take off with one of my patients like that, Sara." Shego just walked past her and opened the door with her foot. She brought Kim back to her room and sat her on the bed before she helped Kim out of her jacket and hat.

"She's fine. Besides, she was with me. It's not like I would have let anything happen to her." Kim took off her shoes and laid back in the bed, pulling the blankets up.

"Look at her, she's freezing. It's too cold outside for her." Erin went to the little closet to grab another blanket for her but when she turned around, Shego was already climbing into the bed with her. Erin looked at her for a moment, confused, but put the blanket at the foot of the bed. She watched as Shego let Kim lean against her and rubbed her back, using her glow to try and warm her up more.

"That any better, Cupcake?" Shego asked, worried because she was still shivering.

"Yeah...way better. It just takes me a while to warm up, that's all." Kim moved closer to her, liking how warm Shego is and surprised by how considerate she's being. She never would have thought she'd be cuddled up to Shego for warmth, but here she was. She took Shego's other hand and without having to be asked, Shego lit it just like she had done earlier. Kim smiled and pressed Shego's hand to her cold cheek and sighed at the warmth. "Much better…" Shego felt her heart almost skip a beat and she couldn't help but smile. This girl was just too cute for her own good sometimes...

Erin watched it all play out and she wasn't sure how to process it all. Shego seemed much different compared to how she was last night. She was more protective when it came to Kim and she called her little pet names constantly. Did she finally realize how she felt towards the other girl? That was good, right? She still had feelings for her, obviously, but she knew she didn't feel the same way towards her anymore. Sara obviously had feelings for the girl and Erin wanted to be happy for her. She _had _to be happy for her...but something about it felt not right... She cleared her throat and stepped closer to the bed after grabbing her tools.

"You both slept through lunch so I know you must be hungry. I'm gonna start dinner in a little bit. Most of my patients are gone the same day so I haven't had company in a long time. It's be nice to cook a big dinner." She tried to force a smile but found it easier to avoid looking at either of them, something that didn't go unnoticed by Shego as she watched Erin move around Kim, checking her vitals. "I'll bring it to you when it's done, though it'll probably take a while." Kim did everything Erin asked her to do while being examined and she had a smile the whole time. "You seem to be in a good mood." She frowned some and Kim nodded, smiling more as she hadn't noticed Erin's expression.

"Yeah, Shego took me for a walk. Even though I didn't want to at the time, it really helped. It was nice and it took my mind off things…" She motioned to her face, her smile fading just slightly. Erin sighed and only nodded. Sara _did_ tell her Kim was upset about her eye. Apparently, that walk really was good for her... Erin inspected Kim's bandages and founds that Sara had wrapped them well. They wouldn't have to be changed for at least a few more hours.

"How are you feeling, Kim? Any pain or dizziness? Nausea?" Kim thought about it for a moment and shrugged.

"Nothing hurts too much but my face hurts more than anything else." Erin stopped and looked around Kim's face, tilting her head from side to side. She applied some pressure to her cheek and that caused Kim to flinch in pain. Erin sighed but did it again to see if it would draw the same reaction, which it did, then she removed her gloves and threw them away.

"Hmm… Your left cheek is still really swollen...though to be fair, it's gone down quite a bit since I checked it this morning. I'll get you an ice pack and some pain meds." Erin started to walk away but stopped when Kim spoke up.

"No pain meds. It's not that bad and I already took the ones that Shego gave me earlier."

"Those were only antibiotics. You don't need those for at least a few more hours, but you may want the pain med now to give it time to kick in." Kim sat up and rested her head in her hand while she thought about it.

"Oh… That _would _explain why I felt fine before… No, I'll wait. Pain meds make me feel weird or tired, depending on what kind they are, and I hate it." Erin just nodded and put her tools away.

"Alright, just let me know right away if you change your mind or have Sara come get me. The last thing we want is for you to be in pain, right? I'm going to start dinner so just holler if you need anything." She walked out and started taking everything she needed to cook.

Shego turned on the tv for Kim and watched it with her for a few minutes until the smaller girl was nice and warm and distracted. She carefully got up but stopped when she saw Kim's questioning expression.

"I'm going to give Erin a hand with dinner and stretch my legs. I'm sure you'd like to have your bed to yourself." She chuckled and stretched her arms some. Kim was kind of bothered that Shego was leaving when she thought they were having a good time, but it wasn't like she was going to force her to stay.

"I didn't mind sharing it." She mumbled and pulled her blanket up, feeling a chill. Shego missed the mumbling but caught the shiver so she grabbed the spare blanket that was on the bed and warmed it up with her glow, taking great care not to burn it since Erin would probably try to skin her alive if she did.

"Here." She gently draped it over Kim's shoulder and saw her face flush red. That must have helped a lot because she looked super warm now. "That'll help while I'm gone, okay?" Kim nodded and leaned back, holding the blanket. It was nice and warm, but it wasn't why her face was all red. Watching Shego do something so sweet and caring like warming a blanket for her made her feel strange. It was almost like the feeling she used to get when Ron baked her something special when she was feeling down. Love… Her eyes widened as she sank deeper into the bed and gripped the blanket tight. There was no way in hell Shego would do any of this for that reason. She probably just felt bad for her, that's all.

"Thanks…" Shego noticed Kim's change in mood almost immediately but she didn't ask her what's wrong because she didn't want Kim to feel pressured to talk about everything.

"No problem, Kimmie." Kim adjusted the bed, so she was sitting up more than before and then looked at Shego.

"Hey… Later, we can um...talk about me staying with you, okay?" Shego was caught off guard by that. Was Kim considering staying with her? Not that she was complaining, far from it, but she never thought she might take her up on her offer.

"Yeah...later…" Shego walked out of the room, still thinking about it, and bumped into Erin was she was prepping the kitchen. "Son of a… Sorry about that." She opened a drawer and grabbed the vegetable peeler before she started peeling potatoes. Erin watched her, really confused by the action.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm peeling potatoes. What does it look like I'm doing?" Shego kept peeling, putting the good ones in a bowl of water. "I always help you cook when I'm here."

"Yeah, but I thought you'd be with Kim, keeping her warm." Erin couldn't help but roll her eyes as she said it, a bit of bite in her tone. Shego slammed down the peeler and turned towards her, glaring.

"Okay, what's your deal Erin? You've had such a shitty attitude since Kimmie, and I came back from our walk."

"It's nothing. Don't worry about it, Sara." Erin scowled and went to the fridge to grab something. When she turned around, she nearly jumped out of her skin when Shego was in front of her. "What the hell?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

"You're going to tell me what your problem is. You were fine earlier. Did I do something to piss you off? I highly doubt us going for a walk pissed you off this much and Kim hasn't done anything."

"I told you, it's nothing. Go back to your little girlfriend and let me deal with dinner." Erin tried to wave her off but Shego grabbed her arm.

"That's it, isn't it? You're jealous... Why the hell would you be jealous? About Kim and me? There's nothing going on between us. And even if there was, _you_ were the one who told me I probably had feelings for her. Now that I'm trying to figure out these feelings, it's pissing you off?" Erin pulled away and glared at Shego.

"You know what? Yeah, it is. The way you act with her is nothing like the way you were with me. You're nicer to her, you know?" Shego didn't expect the outburst. She started to say something but was cut off. "God, you even used your powers to take care of her. You _never_ did any of that for me, ever. What makes her so special?"

"Erin… Look, it's not really something I can explain because I don't fully understand it myself. The way I feel about Kim and the way I felt towards you...those are two different things." Despite wanting an answer Erin didn't really want to hear one. She wanted to stay mad at her. She just pushed her aside and returned to cooking.

"You don't understand it because you don't want to. You just feel guilty about her getting her and you're misinterpreting those feelings." She stopped, glanced over her shoulder, and turned back to the food. "Just go back to her. Who knows maybe she'll give you something that I couldn't." Shego took a step back and just stared at Erin in shock.

"Erin... You. Are. Insane. Why would you push me so hard to understand how I feel towards her if it was going to make you so upset?" Erin clenched the knife in her hand tight and struggled with herself to not fling it in anger.

"Because I'm not an asshole, Sara! I care about how other people feel. I wanted to be happy for you, for moving on, but I can't. I still have feelings for you and seeing you treat her better that you treated me really fucking hurts."

"What are you going on about? That _is_ the same way I treated you, _you_ just never noticed how hard I was trying to make things work. You were always so busy with getting the clinic up and running that I didn't want to get mad at you for that. I cooked dinner all the time, I took care of the house, I played the part of a good girlfriend when I wasn't out working for Drakken. I'm sorry, but you need to understand that I really did try." Erin just scoffed.

"You never gave _me_ a cute nickname and you gave her several." Shego crossed her arms and looked at Erin.

"Angel, Precious, Bunny, Sugar, Dove." Erin froze when she heard the names and felt her whole face heat up as she recognized all the names. "Any of those ringing a bell?" How had she never noticed that?... She had been fully involved in their relationship, hadn't she? She would have remembered Sara calling her any of those. "You're starting to see how crazy you were, aren't you?" Shego uncrossed her arms and rubbed her face, not wanting Erin to see any tears from her. Erin felt horrible. She'd blamed Sara for everything. She thought she didn't love her.

"Sara… I'm sor-"

"No, don't bother apologizing." Shego huffed and stomped over to the fridge to grab a beer. "All this time I felt so awful for calling off the wedding, like _I_ was the horrible one. Turns out, you didn't even focus on us enough to see everything I was doing to try and save our relationship. You're a real piece of work, you know that?" Shego popped the beer open and walked out of the kitchen, grabbing a jacket off the coat rack and going outside. Erin could only stand there as she beat herself up mentally. How did she never notice that? She thought she loved Sara more than anything... They were going to get married for God's sake...

***Thud***

Erin spun around and saw Kim trying to kneel on the ground to pick up the broom that she knocked over. Erin dried her eyes and came up to the redhead, picking up the broom for her.

"Here, let me get that for you." Kim stood back up, holding her side, and took a step back while avoiding Erin's eyes.

"Thank you… Did Shego leave?" She blushed and sighed, looking down in embarrassment. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to overhear… I just wanted something to drink..."

"No… It's fine, don't worry about it." Erin guided her over to the table and helped her sit down. "Juice, water, or milk?"

"No soda?" Erin looked over her shoulder at Kim and grabbed the bottle of cola.

"I don't normally give patients sugary drinks like this, but I guess it wouldn't hurt just this once." She poured Kim a small glass of soda, giving it to her before she poured herself a glass of wine.

"Are you...okay?" Kim didn't want to upset Erin, but she'd heard almost their whole argument and she wasn't sure how to feel, knowing that Shego apparently had feelings for her, but she didn't want to make this all about her. From what she heard, Erin and Shego were a couple, engaged even…

"I don't even know… I'm sorry if you heard any of that…" Erin took a heavy drink of her wine and tried to go back to cooking dinner.

"No, it's fine… I didn't want to interrupt you two." Kim tried not to look at her while she sipped her soda.

"So, you definitely heard us then. Great… For what it's worth, she really does care about you…" Erin frowned, shook her head, and focused on the stove. "What about you? How do you feel towards her?"

"I… I'm not sure, to be honest. It's weird… We've been fighting each other for years and it wasn't until all this that I felt any different towards her. Maybe it's just because she's been so nice…"

"Well, I've been nice too, mostly. Do you feel that way about me?" Kim thought it over and slowly shook her head.

"No... I don't."

"Hate to break it to you kid, but it sounds you like her too." Kim felt her face heat up again and she rubbed her neck, not sure what to say because she felt bad for liking her if Erin still loved her.

"I'm sorry…" Erin turned around, noticing how sad Kim looked, and sighed. She set down her glass and walked over to her, stooping down to force Kim to look at her.

"Hey… Don't apologize. You can't help the way you feel, right?"

"I guess… But don't you still love her?"

"I do, maybe not as much as I thought I did, if I'm being honest… But unfortunately, she's right. I was a really shitty girlfriend and I was too focused on myself to see how much she was doing for me, for both of us."

"I've never…"

"You've never had feelings for a woman, have you?" Kim nodded and Erin couldn't help but chuckle as she stood back up and walked back to the counter. "I'll give you a tip. Contrary to popular belief, it's no different than being attracted to a man."

"I have so many questions…"

"I think I can answer them, but I'm going to need some help with dinner, if you don't mind." She didn't need the help, but she thought it would be good for Kim to start trying to function with her 50% vision and it was a good distraction for her. Besides, Sara wouldn't try to kill her with Kim so close by, right?

Two hours went by before Shego finally came back to the house. She'd taken the jet to her home, taking a shower and grabbing some things before coming back. She was still really pissed at Erin. How could she have thought that she didn't care about her? Up until the end, she'd loved her and had done everything she could to make her happy, but it just wasn't enough for her. She had felt bad for just leaving Kim alone like that, but she needed some time to think and she really wanted shower and fresh clothes. After parking the jet behind the house, Shego trekked through the fresh snow from the nearing blizzard and kicked off her boots before going back into the house. She expected silence but from the kitchen, she could hear two different voices and she caught a whiff of food cooking. She rounded the corner leading to the kitchen and what she saw surprised her. Erin and Kim were cooking, talking, and laughing like old friends. Erin didn't seem upset and Kim seemed in good spirits as well. Shego cleared her throat as she walked into the kitchen, setting her backpack on a chair.

"You two seem to be getting along." Shego watched Erin tense up but her attention moved to Kim right after. Kim turned around quickly at the sound of Shego's voice and couldn't help but smile when she saw her.

"You're back!" Shego wanted to keep glaring at Erin, but it was hard to do when Kim was smiling at her the way she was.

"Hey, Cupcake. Having fun?" She smiled back at Kim as she checked out what they were cooking. Erin was finishing off the pork chops while Kim was mixing the mashed potatoes.

"Yeah, Erin's been teaching me how to cook a few things, or trying at least. I'm still not very good…but I made mashed potatoes!"

"I can see. I bet they taste great. I can teach you a few things as well, if you want." Shego patter her shoulder before looking at Erin. Erin was beginning to plate everything up and she started to carry it to the table when Shego took the platter of chops from her and carried it for her.

"Thank you…" Shego only nodded and helped them both set the table before they all sat down, Erin at the head of the table with Kim and Shego seated across from each other. They ate in awkward silence for the first 15 minutes until Shego spoke up.

"The potatoes are good, Princess. Good job." Kim smiled proudly and thanked her before she tried to draw her attention to the chops.

"Erin did a real good job on these chops, don't you think?" Shego wanted to stay mad but Kim's smile made it hard. Plus, she had to admit that the food _was _delicious, and she didn't want to seem petty.

"Yeah, it's good too…" Erin smiled a bit until she noticed that Sara wasn't looking at her. She was still upset with her...

"Thank you... It's a recipe that you taught me a few years back. I still use it."

"I thought it tasted familiar." Shego shook her head, smiling just slightly, and went back to eating. They returned to their silence again until the end of the meal neared, and Kim broke the silence.

"So, about what we were talking about earlier, I'll do it."

"Do what?" Shego was trying to remember what they'd talked about, but she could only think of the argument she'd had with Erin.

"I'll stay with you. Until I'm healed up of course, then I want to get back into crime fighting." Shego didn't expect that and she stopped eating, staring at her.

"Really? You'll stay with me?" Kim nodded and handed Erin her plate when she reached for it.

"Yeah. You're right. As much as I don't want to admit it, I'm in no condition to go back out there right now and I wouldn't be safe anywhere else." Shego smirked a bit, taking the last bite of her food.

"Please, my place is probably the safest house you'll ever live in. Even the best of the worst wouldn't dare try to break into my place, if they value their life, that is." Erin took her plate as well and Shego stood up, opening her bag and grabbing a six pack of beer from it. She stuck it in the fridge before grabbing another one of Erin's. "Relax. I brought some more, okay?" Erin just nodded and washed the dishes.

"Yeah, it's fine…" Shego sat back down and watch Kim as she sipped a cup of juice. Once glance over her shoulder told her Erin wasn't looking so, she quietly slid the bottle to Kim, giving her a smirk and a nod. Kim, not the biggest fan of beer, was hesitant but picked up the bottle and took a sip. It wasn't as bad as she'd thought. It was just more bitter than she'd preferred, but she took a few more sips before giving it back to Shego with a smile. Since she came back, she'd been looking at Shego in a different light. Shego _was_ acting differently towards her. Not just nicer, but gentler than she ever was before. It was nice, even if it did feel weird.

Shego finished her beer and tossed out the bottle before grabbing another one and helping Erin put the leftovers away. Kim watched, happy that they weren't yelling again, and yawned, stretching and rubbing her good eye. She'd had a rough bout with pain while they were cooking so Erin made her take her pain meds. Now, she was starting to feel them and was getting more and more tired. Shego put the last of the bowls in the fridge and looked over at Kim. She saw her yawning and rubbing her eye, so she walked over and helped her stand.

"Come on, Princess. You should lie down. It's getting pretty late anyway" Shego guided her to the room and helped her into the bed. Kim turned the tv back on and slid to one side of the bed, looking back at Shego. The green-toned woman watched her for a moment and chuckled, knowing exactly what she wanted. She carefully climbed into the bed with her and wrapped an arm around Kim's shoulder, turning on the glow to warm her up. "Better?" Kim smiled and nodded, moving closer to Shego and resting her head on her shoulder.

"Much better…" Erin had given her some tips on how to flirt but she still felt weird about trying it, so she just stuck to what felt comfortable, like cuddling. She loved how warm Shego was, it was nice, and it left her feeling safe. Erin came in while they were watching tv and made sure that Kim took her meds before saying goodnight to them and hitting the lights. Kim was close to falling asleep when she felt something around her shoulders. She opened her eye and found that Shego had put her arm around her. Kim blushed and tried not to stare at her and make it obvious but Shego had looked down at her at just the right moment.

"You okay Kimmie?" Kim nodded again, rubbing her cheeks to try and hide the blush.

"Yeah…" She stopped, sighing, and sat up. She just couldn't pretend like things are normal… She would probably die of embarrassment if she said anything outright, but she couldn't pretend things were normal between them. Before she let her nerves get the best of her, Kim reached up and pulled Shego's face closer, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Shego didn't move but stared at her with wide eyes as Kim made herself comfortable again and pulled the blanket up more to hide part of her face. "Goodnight Shego…"

"G-goodnight, Cupcake…" Shego touched her cheek where Kim had kissed her and felt herself blush. Neither of them slept much that night.

* * *

**As mentioned in the most recent chapter of my other Fic, Good Dog, I have recently gotten a job. It's only part time so I'll still be able to upload, but I just wanted to let you all know now, just in case you worry what is taking me so long to come back. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you have a lovely day! -Mercy Vale**


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